Concept
The concept is that the factor is offering other companies (franchisees) a range of services
using the factor’s resources. These services could be funding, data entry, cash posting,
collections, credit management and so forth.
From a FactorSoft perspective each franchisee could be either a separate database or an
office within a database. The factor can allocate functionality to the franchisee’s users using
the security functions according to the arrangement between them.
Separate Database Solution
Each franchise has its own database and user count. The advantages are:
- Complete physical data separation; each franchise can have different business
rules (system preferences, tables).
- Branding; all reports will have the franchisee’s name and address as well as any
look/feel differences that may be appropriate to that user.
- Portability; a database can be individually moved to a different machine, backed
up or restored without affecting other franchisees.
- Scalability; it is much simpler to allocate processing resources to separate
databases as the business grows and additional computers are added to the mix.
Office within a Database Solution
FactorSoft has the ability to restrict a user’s view to a specific office; the user only sees
information for the clients assigned to that office. Certain reports have the ability to pick up
the “factor name” from the office information instead of using the name assigned to the
database.
In this scenario all franchisee’s share the same system preferences, tables and debtors.
There is a cost advantage since only one database needs to be licensed by the factor and
there will be some advantages to having a view across all debtors for all franchisees.
Factor Access
The factor will have complete access to all databases using the desktop client. Each user is
setup in each database; the appropriate database is selected on the login screen.
Franchisee Access
The franchisee will have access through a communications server running Microsoft
Terminal Services or Citrix. Each user for each franchisee is setup within the appropriate
database and on the communications server. The user will be able to access the application
through any internet connection using either a thin client loaded on their computer or
through their browser from any computer connected to the Internet. Both communication
products provide local printing; the user experience is identical to the in-house user.
In the separate database solution the communications server login routes them to their
specific database; they only see the databases they are meant to see. In the office within a
database solution, their user’s view is restricted to clients assigned to the specific office.
Web Access
Web Access is granted to the franchisee’s clients the same as to the current factor’s clients.
If there are multiple databases available from the same web portal then the franchisee’s
clients will select an appropriate database when entering their user information and
password.
Alternatively, if the franchisee has their own web site, or a separate web page is provided
by the factor for each franchisee, then the web portal can be setup such that it is not
necessary for the client to have to select the database.
Invoice Downloads
If the clients are providing downloadable files they can be drag/dropped on the appropriate
web page, emailed to a pre-defined address if the Exchange Capture Module is used or they
can be loaded manually by either the franchisee or the factor.
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